


Stand By Your Man

by Piper_Halliwell1979



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Comforting Dean, Hurt Castiel, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-26
Updated: 2016-02-26
Packaged: 2018-05-23 09:23:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6112108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Piper_Halliwell1979/pseuds/Piper_Halliwell1979
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Being free of Lucifer has left Cas really banged up and makes Dean face his feelings.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stand By Your Man

**Author's Note:**

> Post season 11

Sam is sitting in the "war room" of the bunker trying to translate a scroll that may have mentioned the sister of God. He couldn't scan the image well enough to run it through the computer so he had to literally roll up his sleeves and go about it the old fashioned way. His brother Dean had been helping but had to take a break when his vision started to blur.

Sam thought it was an excuse to down a whole beer for himself before coming back to pretend he was on his first. A sudden vibration stunned him out of concentration. It was Dean's phone. Sam looked around to check if his brother was anywhere in proximity. Fuck it.

"Hello," he answered. "He's here, just a minute. I'm his brother. When? We'll be there in less than an hour." Oh god, oh god, oh god. "Dean! Get your ass in here!" Sam yelled. He began to pace.

Dean appeared in the doorway a moment later holding a bag of chips. His cheeks were puffed like a squirrel. "What?" he asked. Crumbs spewed forth when he spoke.

"You got a call and I answered it. It's Cas. He was taken to the hospital and they found your number on his phone as his emergency contact. We have to go!" Sam pushed past

Dean toward the garage. He took a set of keys off the wall and turned to look back down the corridor. Dean dropped the chips and came after him without saying a word. He didn't even argue with Sam over who was driving. He didn't talk at all for the entire car ride. He was afraid to hear the cracks in his own voice if he did.

Sam actually drove more conservatively than Dean would have. They still made it in less than the hour Sam had estimated. He could tell Dean wanted to bail out and barge into the emergency room, but he stopped him. "Put your ring on the other hand." 

 

"What? What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Dean was antsy and agitated. 

"Tell them you're the husband. If he's taken to ICU or needs a consent form they'll let the spouse do it. Trust me," Sam reasoned. "Friends get very abbreviated updates on conditions. Relatives get the cold hard truth. Spouses stay in the room 24/7."

Dean did as he was told before Sam escorted him to the information desk. "Ca-...um Jimmy Novak, please. I got a call he was brought in." Dean tried to keep it together but adrenaline was pumping his heart fast enough for him to feel dizzy. They clack of the woman's keyboard pounded and echoed in his brain. "Mr. Novak has been admitted to the ICU. Are you family?" She asked, barely looking away from her monitor. 

"I'm Dean, his h-husband," he managed to stutter. "This is my brother Sam. Can I see him?" Dean was denying ever impulse to come over the desk and look Cas up himself. Sam kept a hand clamped tight on his shoulder to keep him grounded.

"It's on the fourth floor. You'll need to sign in at the window so they can give you a visitor's pass and buzz you in. One visitor at a time, though." She was simultaneously helpful and less than helpful. Dean wanted answers that somebody better give him when he got up there. All he knew was that Cas had been hurt badly enough to be in intensive care. Sam pulled him away toward the elevators.

The ride up felt excruciatingly long. Sam decided to do the talking at the window since Dean was acting like a wounded feral animal. His brother kept pacing and making what sounded like growling noises. 

"Hi, we were told downstairs that my brother-in-law was admitted to the ICU. His name is Jimmy Novak." Sam had softened his voice. The man on the other side of the window consulted the board behind him.

"Is your sister with you?" He asked. 

"No, this is my brother Dean, his husband." Sam waited for a reaction.

"I'll need you both to sign in and you're going to have to wear these visitor badges at all times beyond the doors. We ask that you go one at a time for now." He handed over two laminated badges with Cas' room number printed in dry erase marker on them. Sam signed them both in.

"Go," he told Dean. The double doors swung open. Dean scanned room numbers as he made his way down the corridor. He sucked in his breath and tried to brace himself for what was on the other side of the door.

Dean hated hospitals. He'd lost his father, the uncle he loved like a father in one. He watched his brother Sam nearly die. The last time he'd seen his ex-girlfriend Lisa and the kid she swore wasn't his was in a hospital. Now his best friend, the man he was too stupid to admit he loved more than that friendship, was lying in a hospital bed.

Cas looked so fragile. There was the oxygen tubes up his nose, wires coming from his chest and finger, an IV going in...at least the blip of his pulse was even. Dean didn't want to startle him so he just sat quietly by his side and held his hand. His breath hitched and hot tears streaked down his cheeks.

"I'm sorry, Cas," he whispered. "I'm sorry I made you feel like the only way you were important to me was as a fighter, a soldier. You mean everything to me and all I've been is a bag of dicks to you. I need you, Cas. I love you." 

Dean hoped for a response. It was the first time he'd said something besides "need." He thought it had been kind of understood between them but obviously not if Cas put himself in danger again. 

There was a soft rap of knuckles on the door and a woman in a white lab coat appeared. "Mr. Novak? I'm Dr. Collins." She held out her hand to Dean. He shook it and said, "Actually, we're the Winchesters. He hasn't changed his name yet. Just call me Dean."

"Okay, Dean. Your husband was brought into the ER by someone who found him unresponsive on a park bench. He's apparently experienced some blunt force trauma. He has two broken ribs and we're monitoring for internal bleeding right now. He's suffered a concussion which we're also monitoring closely. He still had his ID and phone so we assume it wasn't a mugging. Mr. Win-Dean, is it possible your husband was the target of a hate crime?"

"No. He had been having some problems with his brother that got a bit out of hand for all of us. Their dad disowned Lu...um...Luke again over it. He did this. If I ever find the son of a bitch..." Dean clenched his fist and jaw. It was really all his fault. He put Cas in that situation. 

"We can alert security if you give us a description. You can restrict a visitor list. I strongly urge you to file a police report."

"Doc, we can deal with all the family bullshit later. Is he gonna be okay? Is he in a coma here? Does he need surgery? The only thing important to me is him." Dean was still holding onto Cas. He squeezed his hand hoping for a reflex.

Dr. Collins lightly touched Dean's arm, her trained gesture to comfort family members. She tried to explain the details of their treatment in a way to reassure Dean that Cas, Jimmy to her, would wake up soon. She introduced him to the neurologist who basically repeated everything he'd already been told. He only nodded. He wouldn't believe anything until Cas opened his eyes.

He took out his phone to send a couple lines to Sam. He wasn't leaving Cas' side any time soon. He wouldn't let him wake up alone. He couldn't. He failed Cas too many times and he silently bargained to spend the rest of his life making it up to him if he would just come back.  
Dean stood and stroked Cas' dark tousled hair. He leaned in to press a soft kiss to his forehead. He was startled again by a nurse..

"I just need to take some vitals. You can stay."  
Dean pulled away to let her work. She was quick and focused. "It's good you're with him, you know. When their loved ones are with them their pulse and blood pressure stay stabilized. Just something I noticed." She gave Dean a smile before she left. It was the first hopeful thing he'd heard in the last couple hours.

He stayed, unmoved, through the night shift change. Sam had been right. Everyone who passed through gave him the respect and condolences any other spouse would receive. One of the night nurses offered to have a cot brought up for him to sleep in the same room. Dean said the chair was fine. He had no plans for sleep that night but if he did, he could crash anywhere. He didn't notice his eyes had closed until he felt his hair being stroked. 

"Hello, Dean," a very hoarse voice said. Dean raised his head to see a weak smile on Cas' face. His intense blue eyes had creases at the sides. Dean thought he was beautiful.

"Hey, Cas," he said as he rose to his feet. He cupped Cas' face in both hands, repeating the forehead kiss from earlier. He brushed their lips together without a thought, so relieved Cas was awake. He quickly blushed afterward when he realized they had experienced their first kiss. "Cas, I..." he stammered.

"Don't....don't take it back, Dean. I've wanted that for a long time." Cas' eyes were pleading. Dean came for another kiss, this one full and lingering. "I was going to tell you I love you, you ass." Dean was smiling and nuzzling Cas gently. "I love you, too, assbutt." 

"Oh, I should also tell you we got married while you were out," Dean told him, holding up his left hand. "Sam told me I'd get to stay here if I told them I'm your husband. So, um, when the next doc comes in I didn't want you to get confused." Dean stayed hovered over Cas. It actually wasn't long before the neurologist came back.

"How you feeling Mr. Novak?" He asked. "It's Winchester," Cas corrected, winking at Dean. He laced their fingers together. "I need to update my identification." 

The doctor scribbled on his notes and started checking his neuro responses. Satisfied, he told Cas he believed his concussion was minor but warranted more observation before he could sign off on him. He shook Dean's hand and left them alone. No sooner had he closed the door that there was knock. Another round of vitals from his night nurse. Cas tried to remain pleasant and courteous when all he really wanted was a longer conversation with Dean. Dean sent another text to his brother.

"Is Sam here?" Cas asked. "Yeah, he's been taking up an entire couch in the waiting area. I've been keeping him updated but I couldn't leave you. I'm not leaving you alone anymore." Dean was quick to kiss him again. He wanted to shower him with the affection he'd been denying them both for too long. 

"Dean, what happens to us now? When I heal and am able to leave?" 

"You come home, Cas. You come home with me and you hang your trench coat in my closet and we never, ever leave each other behind again." Cas was silent. His eyes glistened but no tears fell. Dean began to panic. Maybe Cas wasn't ready for that. Maybe he wanted to take things slow and Dean was making assumptions about lost time.

"You should buy me a ring. There's a song about putting a ring on it if you like it," Cas said in all seriousness. He didn't maintain it for long before grinning at Dean. Dean's nerves broke into laughter. He missed this. He missed Castiel's smile and his peculiar sense of humor. He finally had him back.

"Let's just start with 'Stand by your Man' and work from there," Dean countered. 

"Okay, Dean. That's a good place to start." Cas squeezed his hand and looked at him with nothing but love in his baby blues. For the first time he didn't question the love he saw in Dean's.

 


End file.
